EDUCATION RESERVES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1905, 25 May 1888, Page 21

EDUCATION RESERVES.

The member for Waimate, Mr Steward, raised on Tuesday a very important question in the House by asking the Minister of Lands " whether the Government will early " in the session submit any proposal to the 11 Legislature to secure that educational and " other reserved shall be so administered as " to afford facilities for settlement instead of " proving a barrier thereto 1 " The Premier replied that the matter was under consideration, but Mr Steward we observe has given notice of motion fcr leave to bring in a Bill for " the administration of endowment re- " serves in the interests of settlement." There would seem to be no question but that some such measure was necessary, since large tracts of country vested in public bodies as reserves for endowment purposes are practically locked up from occupation, in many instances forming prolific breeding grounds for rabbits. The Land Act of 1885 provided specifically that endowment reserves might be made subject to its provisions — i.e., be opened for disposal by sale or otherwise, but this was clogged by the proviso that such course should not be taken xcept at the request or upon the recom mendation of " the body or person in whom " such reserves are vested, or who have the "administration of the revenue arising " therefrom." The present Ministry were so impressed by the desirability of action being taken to throw open the extensive areas reserved, that they proposed in the Land Act Amendment Bill, introduced last session, to repeal the provisos referred to, and thus take power to the Executive to declare by proclamation any endowment reserves to be subject to the provisions of the Land Acts. The Minister of Lands in moving the second reading of the Bill expressed himself strongly on the subject, asserting that in the past endowments had been held and dealt with in a manner injurious to settlement, and stated his impression that this power being given would prevent the necessity of interference. "I think," he said, "it will be a " somewhat similar case to what we are all " well acquainted with — that of a horse " which will scarcely move without a whip, " but if you have one in your hand it goes " well without any application of the whip, " I think the" Government having the power "to interfere — if endowment reserves are " required for the settlement of the country — " will prevent the necessity for any inter- " ference on the part of the Government." The House, however, when the Bill was in Committee, deolined by a large majority to concede such powers, there being a very general feeling among the Southern members that there would be considerable risk of the reserves being eventually swooped up altogether under circumstanoes of financial exigency which might arise, or at all events, there were no sufficient safeguards for securing the capital value or the annual revenues to the purposes of the endowments. There is no doubt whatever that the North has long had a hungry eye towards the valuable endowment reserves ixx Canterbury and Otago, and the contingency has to be faced of a Northern Ministry being at some time in power. It behoves, therefore, that those reserves should be jealously guarded against every possibility of the future. At the sametime it must needs be admitted to be expedient in the general interests of the Colony that there should be some means j of putting the screw on the bodies or persons in whom they are vested, so as to prevent the lands being closed

to settlement" when required. This is what we may presume Mr Steward, who is himself a strong Provincialist, seeks to effect, and we cannot see that there should be any insuperable difficulties in the way. A short discussion which took place in the Honse last session on a question put by Mr W. C. Smith, the member for Woodville (Wellington provincial district), evoked expressions of opinion from several members as to endowment reserves being a block to settlement, and the Wellington School Commissioners were especially blamed for their apathy and laxity in dealing with the lands vested in them.

Daring the hearing of a case in the RM. Court on Tuesday, Mr Eliotfc, J.P., .who was on the bench, said in reference to the value of property in Dunedin that his idea was that the value of a place was just what it fetched. He knew of a place in Dunedin that cost £4000 to put up, and yet was bringing in only £30 a year. On the morning of the 18th inst. (writes our . Lawrence correspondent) the body of a man was discovered on Dead Man's Beach on the bank of the Clutha river, about nine miles below the Beaumont. The body was very much decomposed and appeared to have been in the water some time, the features not being recognisable. The only clothing on the body was a pair of light tweed trousers and a pair of white woollen drawers, fastened up with a leather strap tight round the waist. Constable Daubney had the body removed to the Bridge Hotel, Beaumont, where an inquest was held on Monday by Mr Revell (coroner) and a jury of six. Andrew Donaldson identified the body as that of a man named James Gray, a wool scourer (whose wife and family live at Green Island), who was working at the Teviot Station in February last. Gray was missed about the 15th of last March, and was traced from the station to the punt, on which his hat was found. It was then thought that he must have slipped off the punt and fallen into the Clutha river. The verdict of the jury was "That the body was that of James Gray, who was drowned in the Clutha river on or about the 15th day of March last, but there was no evidence to show how he got into the water." A young man named William Jamieson is missing from Gore, having disappeared in a rather curious manner. The Mataura Ensign states that on the night of April 3rd Jamieson was met by the occupant of a buggy, and being in a quarrelsome mood and acting in an objectionable manner, a quarrel tock place. An information for assault wss laid against Jamieson next day, but he has not been seen or heard of since. It was supposed he was keeping out of the way, but last week his hat and coat were found in a ditch between the road and river. It is feared that, as the river was in high flood at the time, Jamieson may have been drowned. To reach the spot where the clothes were found he would, on the night in question, have had to swim through several lagoons. Mr Valentine, M.H.R., has forwarded a telegram to the Mataura Ensign stating that nothing has been settled about the Mataura bridge contract on the Switzers railway. The Ministei says nothing can be said or done until the loan money is obtained. Certain portions of the House are anxious to suspend all works similar to the Swifczers railway. In the money article of the Standard of Thursday, April 5, we find the following paragraph :—": — " Colonial bonds fell §ml in a dozen instances. The public are not coming for them bo fast as the market would like. Private advices from New Zealand say that the popula tion of that colony is deserting it footer tti"an the usual service of steamers can carry it away, and that extra boats have been put on. The emigrants go mostly to Victoria." At a meeting of the Waitahuna Gully School Committee held on Monday night Mr M'Farlane, late of the North-East Valley School, was appointed teacher. He commences his duties next week, the school in the meantime being closed. A singular accident while playing football ia reported by our Waikouaiti "correspondent. While some young men were indulging in a game on Monday evening the ball was kicked into a tree, where it remained. William Aitcheson, a son of Mr J. Aitcheson, in trying to recover it fell from the tree, and in his fall his leg struck against a post and the bone was fractured above the knee. At a meeting held at Gore in connection with the movement to create a new county, it was resolved, on the motion of Mr Grieve, seconded by Captain Mackenzie, that no further steps be taken re the formation of a new county pending the result of the present movement to secure an increase of members of county councils. The following is from the Christchurch Press :— " On dit that the Government will place a sum of money on the Estimates to meet the expenses of a militia. The proposal is to ask for 1000 volunteers for a first-class militia, that is of single men up to 30 years of age. Failing in obtaining the volunteers, the Government will select men enough to make up the complement. At a meeting of teachers in the Waitaki district, it was resolved to ask the Educational Institute of Otago to take steps to secure a uniform set or sets of reading books throughout the colony. W, Newlands (of Maheno School) and J. Brockle (of the South School) were the winners of the two scholarships at the Waitaki High School, worth 10 guineas each. The Timaru correspondent of the Lyttelton Times states that the Government have reoeived in fees £10,000 under the Bankruptcy Act. The following instance of the power of a fungus is given by the Now Zealand Herald r — " There is now ai the Auckland railway station a natural curiosity, which is well worthy the attention of scientists, as serving to show the power of organic growths. Under one of the platform seats a growth of fungus, as soft in texture as a mushroom, has forced its way through the asphalt, bursting the latter right and left, and it has now attained a height of 6in or 7in. The fungus is in a bunch of about 10 heads. They are elongated, not flat, but are quite soft to the touch, and break readily. They were first noticed on Monday breaking through the asphalt close to the brick wall of the railway station, and next day they had attained the growth of 6in or Tin, and the asphalt burst and shattered surrounding them, which shows the strength of the organic growth It is supposed that this fungus has developed from some of the wood piles put in for the foundation of the boilding. If the ether piles go in for similar development, it may be that the building as well as the pavement will suffer. In addition to representing the Mataura Dairy Factory Company daring his trip to the Home country, Mr Thos. Mac Gibbon will, it is stated, interview some leading woollen manufacturers at Home, and explain to them the financial benefits that would accrue to any firm with sufficient enterprise to establish a factory on the.

banks of the river at Mataura, it being now thought pretty certain that the venture is too big a one for tte district to float without outside assistance. Cutlery works are the latest Southland industry. The manufacture has been inaugurated by Mr B. Edwards, of One Tree Point, near Invercargill, aud attention is at present confined to turning out slashers, bill hooks, and bush hooks, articles which have hitherto only been imported. Daring the visit of a number of people from Invercargill one day last week Mr Edwards bad c inverted a foot length of bar steel into a hedge slasher with an edge as sharp as a razor. The will of the late Mr Geor/,e buppa has been proved. Its contents, though peculiar, will not surprise those who were aware of certain traits iii the character of the deceased. He leaves his son, Mr Bryan Glad win George Duppa, £10,000, with a distant remainder in his real estate. With the exception of some not very considerable legacies to other nephews and three neices, the deceased has left the wholo of his real estates in Kent., and residue of his personalty, valued at £64,381, to his nephew, Mr Richard Duppa Turbutt, with remainders to his sons and daughters, to his nephews, Mr Alured Lloyd and Mr Henry de Malmaynes Duppa, and further remainder to his son Bryan. The tenure of the estates is made conditional upon the assumption by the tenant of the ancient family came and the arras of Do Uphaugh, and no Roman Catholic will be eligible to inherit. The value of fche property is said to be nearly £300,000, and the great bulk is inherited by Mr R. D. Turbutt. Mr Duppa's favourite son died about two years ago. How the secoud son and the daughter— who is apparently quite disinherited—offended their father is not clearly fcnown. In the vestry of St. Joseph's Cathedral on Tuesday a .'presentation was made to Father Lynch of an address «nd purse containing the sum of £141 175. The sum presented to Father Lynch was raised spontaneously in a few days. The presentation was made in an undemonstrative manner at the wish of Father Lynch on being consulted about the matter. The collection of the maney was principally done by ladies. Father Lynch will be absent for five or six months in consequence of a throat affection from Which he is suffering. People in North Brunswick township, New Jersey, are, says a correspondent, interested in the coming marriage of a farmer's daughter, Emma Johnson, to a man who was supposed to be a tramp, but who turns out to be a wealthy Scotchman. The young fellow, Hugh M'Kenzie by name, says that he is the son of Colin M'Kenzie, a retired lawyer of Edinburgh. One day Miss Johnson found him under a tree on her father's farm, where he had fainted dead away. He was carried into the house and cared for by the girl. In a few days he was sufficiently recovered to go to work on the farm, and a few months later he wrote to his father. In reply, he received word that his father was dead, and that he was heir to one-sixth of his estate, which will be worth three-quarters of a million. Hrt and Miss Johnson will be married in May.